The Rev. Bryan Berghoef, a pastor with Holland United Church in Michigan, announced he will run as a Democrat to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI-02).
“Hey friends! I’m running for Congress. Why? Because I care deeply about the flourishing of my friends and neighbors here in West Michigan, and we can do better together,” the United Church of Christ pastor tweeted on Sunday.
Hey friends! I’m running for Congress. Why? Because I care deeply about the flourishing of my friends and neighbors here in West Michigan, and we can do better together. Join our effort at https://t.co/Iy4b22fPGh!
— Bryan Berghoef for Congress (@bryanberghoef) July 22, 2019
Huizenga, first elected to the House in 2010, has worked as a realtor and co-owns Huizenga Gravel Inc. located in Jenison, Michigan, according to his official biography.
Berghoef, 44, officially launched his campaign Monday at Brew Merchant in Holland, according to a story by WHTC.
Berghoef said he “will restore integrity to the 2nd congressional district office,” according to a statement.
“The money in politics has gotten out of control,” he told the outlet. “When we allow corporations to give unlimited donations, our elections are bought and our legislation is designed and paid for by lobbyists. I won’t accept a penny from corporate lobbyists.”
Berghoef wrote a book called “Pub Theology: Beer, Conversation, and God,” according to Goodreads. The book’s description includes this:
From London to New York to Ann Arbor, people are gathering in pubs and bars to communicate, connect, and learn from one another over the topic of religion, of all things. In ‘Pub Theology’, pastor, writer, and pub theologian Bryan Berghoef draws from his own experience in one such setting in northern Michigan. Berghoef contends that for too long the church has insisted on setting the terms for how one can find and encounter God. Yet what if God is to be found in places we haven’t been looking at all: in a coworker who doesn’t believe in God, in a Buddhist neighbor, in a friend who prefers a yoga studio to a sanctuary?
The Holland Sentinel said Berghoef wants to build an “equitable economy.”
“We need an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.” he told The Sentinel. “I think we’ve got a lot of folks who are working multiple jobs to make ends meet, people are having a hard time finding affordable housing because inflation is not matching wages, so I think we need livable wages.”
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Bryan Berghoef” by Bryan Berghoef.
